Category: Blog

Sexy, celibate and sane.  We live in a world where sex sells and abstinence is frowned upon.  My story talks about celibacy, along with some childhood, teenage, and adult moments that may have sealed my decision to refrain from sex outside a committed relationship.  There is a lot of emphasis placed on sex in relationships, but when did we forget to factor in love?

Many things may lead to our understanding about sex and how we ultimately feel when we are old enough to engage.  The pitfalls of one relationship can easily cloud your judgment moving into another.  Until we truly know and love ourselves as a whole person, we will not be able to sustain a right, rewarding, relationship with another.  My time of celibacy has taught me so much about who I am and what I desire for my life, which has nothing to do with having a significant other.

 

Tadas Mikuckis @tadasmikuckis

Music is sweeter after a rest!  No matter how much you enjoy something, you can’t do it forever. Most composers know this and allow piano players and other musicians places in the music to rest. It may be resting the hands or simply resting the ears, but rest is an inevitable and essential part of every piece of music. A musical rest is simply a defined period of time in the flow of music when you don’t play or hold a note – it is a command to do nothing.

Life can be seen the same way. We all need rest to rejuvenate and replenish our mind and body so that we can continue to function at optimum levels. I’m not talking about sleeping at night or going on vacation each year. It is important that we pencil in some daily time of rest. You may think that you are doing a good job by staying at a task or multitasking for hours, but studies show that it’s better to take a short break after three hours, and then return. There is also some debate as to whether or not multitasking is a good idea. Some feel that it puts more pressure on the brain to perform by switching between tasks rather than doing one thing well. I’m starting to agree with that. I find that I do better when I focus on one task and move to another after finishing. But I still tend to multitask more than I wish. When your brain tells you something else needs to be done it’s hard to overlook it unless you write it down. Most of the time I feel that it’s quicker to do it and have it behind me, especially if it’s something that takes only a few minutes. I tell myself that the time I spend writing it down is the time I could have had it done. That’s one less thing on my “to do” list. Of course the more I do that the more I realize that I have overlooked something else that had a higher priority on that list. So, whenever possible take a rest and when you return, try returning to the task at hand only, rather than jumping around from one thing to another. Some things really can wait until tomorrow, even some small things!

Be careful what you ask for because you just might get it! A full plate! Do you recall the day when you wanted more of everything?  More time, more energy, more money, more food, you name it and you asked God to supply it.  I know, because I did the same thing.  I wanted more time to myself and more energy to do what I love.  I wanted more money to buy more food, and to eat out more.  Well, guess what?  I got everything I asked for and now I still want more.  As I work on my business I want more hours in a day so I can get more done.  I want more energy so I can hang out with my friends after I get the more done.  When I get tired of the recipes that I have tried, I want more food in the refrigerator so I can try more recipes, even though I always manage to make new and tasty ones with whatever I have.   Once I get tired of going to my regular restaurants, I want more money so I can try the ones that my Uber riders tell me about.

As human beings we will always want more. But be careful of complaining about a full plate, when there are so many people starving for what you have.  We need to start praising God for our full plate.  Thank Him for the appetizer, the entree, and the dessert.  Learn to savor every little bite that He feeds you.  An appetizer to you is a meal to the homeless.  Having ten people watch your live feed is a major accomplishment, to the person who only has three viewers.  As you continue to pray and trust God for your future, the day will come where you won’t have room enough to receive all His blessings.  In the meantime, be a good steward with a thankful heart while you wait.  Yes, my plate is full and I am enjoying the feast!

Have you ever found yourself stuck in a certain place, afraid to move forward because you didn’t know where you would end up?  You already know what’s behind you so you don’t want to go in reverse.  Instead you either sit there in park or in neutral, going nowhere.  Did you check your fuel before you got started?  What about your GPS; is it a reliable source of direction?  Did you make sure to throw in some courage before you started your journey? For some of us we started out great, but then we got distracted along the highway. We decided to stop at the mall.  Even though our appointment time was near, our desire to shop became the winner.  What about all those restaurant signs that we saw along the way?  Did any of you get enticed to stop and grab a bite?  You looked at your watch and saw that there was no way you could make it on time, yet you stopped anyway.

What is it about us that makes us lose focus so easily? Why is it so hard to stay in drive? Of course the gears on our steering wheel of life is there for a reason.  No one is expected to stay in motion.  However, when you are in motion it is wise to try to make it on time.  We set goals and limitations based on our belief system of what’s capable.  It’s okay to park and gather your energy and thoughts.  Maybe a pause will give you a new perspective.  There’s nothing wrong with going in reverse if that’s the only route out of any given space.  Some turns in life catch you at a dead end street, and reverse is the only thing that will course correct you.  In order to get to your professional/personal destination it is imperative that you stay in drive mentally.  Be sure that you have the necessary fuel, a reliable GPS, and the courage to make it to the end of your journey.

Gabriele Diwald @gabrielediwald

Failure to see round the corner. It is a shame when you are so fixed on what’s in front of you that you lose sight of what’s possible. In life there are many crooks and turns, however we are putting a ceiling on our potential by our failure to see round the corner.   God always leads us to where we need to be and not where we want to be.  When you began to see your stops along the way as a training ground rather than a punishment, you will start to realize that all things work for your good.  There is no need to feel like what happens in life is there to take you out.  As a child who was raised with no electricity and no plumbing until I was in grade school, I know how to survive when the lights are out or the pipes are frozen.  This is not a crisis to me but an adjustment instead. So many times we get comfortable with a situation to the point where we fear moving forward. Familiarity is easier than taking a risk.  Why consider going around the corner when we know what life is like in this present space?  What if I go and fail?  What if I don’t like it once I get there?  What if they talk about me?  That could happen.  You may fail, and you may not like it once you get there, and they will talk about you.  But I can guarantee you this much, if you stay where you are you will continue to be where you are.  You cannot take what you know into the future unless you are willing to go there.  No time or effort is wasted as long as you learn something.  It may not be clear what the lesson/meaning is at first but in due time, you will be amazed when you see stuff start to fall into place.  I cannot count the times when I have said to myself, “Wow, I’m so glad I learned or went through this or that!”  So go ahead.  Make that move.  Don’t just peep around corner, go round it!  You never know what might be on the other side.